Use It or Lose It - Hearing Protection

I know this an old thread but it's always good to remind shooters about hearing loss and tinnitus.

I don't know what I would do if my tinnitus went away after twenty years... it'd be so quiet! I guess I'd jump for joy and do some kind of a jig.

I was first struck with tinnitus when I was 19 years old and sitting in the driver's hole of an M1A1 tank in the middle of winter. I had my hatch cracked 'cause the tank commander insisted on me having the heater running full blast and it was over 100 degree in my driver's hole despite it being 20 degrees outside. Anyway, I was half-asleep from the heat and didn't hear the fire command until it was too late for me to close the hatch. That 120 mm cannon was about two feet above my head and went off. The ringing in my ears started right then, despite my having a CVC helmet with earcups on.

I've never found a cure, and I have it all the time. Those herbal pills for it you can get at a lot of the pharmacy chains does knock it down a few notches... but it's ridiculously expensive. Same thing with going for real acupuncture... it takes it down a few levels but it's not a permanent fix. I think once you have it you are stuck with it.

Take it from a former tank crewman. If you don't have hearing damage yet, try to prevent it. It sucks. So, when you shoot put on your ears (hearing protection). To be on the safe side, use both ear plugs and the shooting muffs.

For ear plugs, I recommend the silicone moldable style (Mack's, for example) you can get at any drugstore. Despite the warnings on those about applying them just on the outside area of your ears, I recommend taking one plug and pulling it into two pieces, then roll each half into a shallow cone shape and stuff that (narrow end first, duh) into each ear. I've never had much of an issue with getting them back out.
 
I was lucky, I came back from Across the Pond with no problems, I think's it's because I would let the wax build up in my ears until it was a solid block I could pull out in one piece, plus I shouted my war cry in action-in BCT I was notorious for my blood curdling scream in bayonet training. Having been a mostly indoors shooter I have been using plugs and muffs for over 30 years now. I use ear protection when I use power tools or even my vacuum cleaner.
 
I'm 65. I've used hearing protection for . . . only about the last 20 years. I've spent about $10,000 on hearing aids so far. :o :( :mad:
 
I'm 35 and have developed tinnitus from ear/sinus infections and medication. Oddly enough, being a musician hasn't change that; my ENT says there's a way to tell if it's noise induced.

I recently got my firearms license and joined a club, which has just made things worse :( For club entry (an liability insurance) you need to put 10 .22lr into the black and 10 .38 into the black. I've never shot a gun before and was pleasantly surprised I could do it :) I had planned to double plug, but couldn't hear anyone speak so I took out the foam plugs and did my 15-20 minute test with 4 other guys...I should have made the instructor scream and double plugged because now my ringing is even louder :(

Even I didn't have noise induced tinnitus before, I sure do now :(
 
need to read the hearing thread in the general forum. It explains the issues in detail. You should a set of foam plugs or muffs with a minimun NRR of 30.

I posted a discussion on range time limits on that post.

The thread is "hearing protection vs hearing Damage.

Wish I had followed my own advice when I was younger.
 
Huh

I was 19 year old and a claymore mine went off about 10 feet in front of me. and I worked around turbo prop and jet aircraft, The ring is constant, my favorite work is Huh and what. I protect what I have left. shooting yard work, woodworking and motorcycle riding. wear your muffs and plugs. I will not let my grand daughter near the range without double hearing protection. I miss hearing. Yes the VA rated me 60% on my hearing.
 
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